Every spring on Cape Cod, thousands of boats shed their winter shrink wrap. That protective plastic keeps boats safe from snow, ice, and harsh weather. But when the boating season begins, it leaves behind a surprising amount of waste. A single boat can generate up to 30 pounds of shrink wrap each year. Multiply that by the thousands of boats across Cape Cod, and the result is a mountain of plastic.
The good news? Much of that plastic is getting a second life instead of ending up in a landfill. In 2025 alone, more than 67.5 tons of boat shrink wrap were recycled through a regional program coordinated by Barnstable County’s Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, WHOI Sea Grant, participating towns, boatyards, and waste haulers. What began as a small pilot project has grown into a regional and national model for marine recycling.
Cape Cod’s boating community stretches across dozens of marinas, boatyards, and waterfront communities “Every spring, we see just how much plastic comes off boats across Cape Cod,” said Kari Parcell, Municipal Assistance Coordinator with Barnstable County’s Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. “This program gives residents an easy way to recycle that material instead of throwing it away. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference for our environment and our coastal communities.”
The challenge is regional, which is why the solution works best when communities work together. Today, collection depots in Bourne, Chatham, Eastham, Falmouth, and Wellfleet help residents recycle boat shrink wrap rather than sending it to the landfill.
The program has come a long way in a short time. When the pilot project launched in 2019, approximately one ton of shrink wrap was collected and recycled. Last year, that number exceeded 67.5 tons. The program has expanded as more residents, municipalities, marinas, and waste haulers have joined the effort. Recycling markets have also evolved. While facilities once accepted only white shrink wrap, many can now process white, blue, and clear wrap, making participation easier than ever.
Many people assume boat shrink wrap can only be thrown away. In reality, it can be recycled into new products. After collection, the material is sent to a recycling facility where it is processed into small plastic pellets known as “nurdles.” Those pellets become raw material used to manufacture products such as:
- New shrink wrap
- Plastic lids
- Traffic and highway barriers
- Industrial plastic products
In other words, last winter’s boat cover may become tomorrow’s useful product.